Pipe
ClassificationsTools and Equipment-smoking equipment-pipes & pipe components
Culture
Tlingit
Dateearly 20th Century
Made AtNorth America
MediumWood, paint and metal
Dimensions4 1/4 × 5 7/8 × 13 1/2 in. (10.8 × 14.9 × 34.3 cm)
Credit LineGift of the Herbert W. Clark Trust
Object number2016.14.7
DescriptionTlingit pipes carved for ceremonial occasions were often made from cut-up parts of trade guns. The gun stock was carved with figures and fitted with the bowl of the pipe, which was cut from the gun barrel. The gun stock was carved with figures and fitted with the bowl of the pipe, which was cut from the gun barrel. Some Tlingit pipes retain the original shape of the gun stock. The kinds of objects that were being traded by their owners and makers reflect both the economic needs of the sellers and the interests of the buyers. Shamanism and ceremonialism were being actively discouraged by missionaries, settlers, and government officials, while the production of objects for sale that portrayed these very traditional pursuits (objects such as this one) was encouraged. Thus, both traditional ceremonial materials and new objects made for sale were easily acquired in the late 19th century. Worn and used tools, bowls, and spoons were traded away and replaced with commercial metal, glass, and ceramic wares.
On View
Not on view
19th Century
mid 19th to early 20th Century
early to mid 20th Century
early to mid 20th Century
early 19th Century
1644-1912
19th to 20th Century
mid 19th - early 20th Century
mid 19th - early 20th Century